I was very excited to read this book since I grew up being a big fan of Caroline Cooney’s books. As weird as it sounds, I used to pretend I was Janie Johnson from The Face on the Milk Carton (if you read the book, you know how strange this is). I can’t say I was a huge fan of The Terrorist and it was only an okay read for me.What I Liked: Billy is the heart of this book. He really made this book jump from a two star rating to a three star rating. The first chapter was gripping as we experience the events leading up to his death from his point of view. His family’s memories were heartbreaking following his death. The mystery aspect was compelling enough. You could see Laura heading towards trouble as she decides to investigate her brother’s murder on her own. I liked how Cooney wasn’t afraid to explore tough topics like mistrust among different cultures.What I Didn’t Like: It had such a strong start that the rest of the novel ended up being a little disappointing. Many of the people in the story came across as almost caricatures instead of real personalities. Plus, some of the actions were a little unbelievable, especially Laura’s own investigation into finding out who committed the terrorist act. The end was very strange. It was very anti-climactic and I couldn’t help but feel disappointed with the outcome.Not a terrible book, but not one of best in the YA suspense genre.Rating: 3/5 Stars Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book for review!
Summary: Laura Williams and her family live in London. As the only American kids at their school it is easy for Laura to make friends. However, her world is turned upside down when her younger brother Billy is killed by a bomb in the underground. Laura then spends her days trying to track down who did this, convinced that it was someone that she knows. After she finally starts to get over what happened and accept her new life as an only child, she starts to do normal things with friends again. When one of her friends has a sleepover, she jumps at the chance. Jehran tells Laura at the sleepover that her brother is forcing her to marry a man that is at least twice her age, and that she wants to escape the country with Laura’s help. Laura and Jehran go to the airport and dress Jehran like Billy so she can use his passport. It is there that Laura realizes that it was Jehran that killed her brother so she could get on this plane and possibly bomb the plane too (because she hates Americans). Nothing is ever proven, but Laura and her family get a sense of closure. Thoughts: This is one of my all time favorite books. I re-read it constantly. It never gets old. The writing it so different than any other book I have read and so intriguing. This book constantly threw curve balls at me and was really suspenseful. I love this book! Highly recommend. Content: Violence
The more I read banned books, the more I realize that just because a book is banned, does not mean it's good literature.I thought Cooney's writing style would have improved between The Milk Carton and The Terrorist but no, same cardboard characters and language that tells, not shows. Unlikable characters who don't mature and show nothing more than shallow development through the course of the story.This book was challenged because of portrayals of Muslims, but, frankly, I'm offended by the way she portrays teenage girls. If we give teen girls nothing but vapid heroines focused on boys, fashion, and prom, what are we telling them? Yes, that is a big part of girls' lives at that age, but I am an American who lived overseas and no girl I knew at my school was quite so petty or myopic.My last gripe- why would the author create such a black and white, American is naive and innocent, Muslim is evil-hearted and malicious, world for her characters? I'd like to think that young adults are capable of thinking in more than just grandiose sweeping stereotypes.
—Michele
Caroline B. Cooney paints a horrifying tale of revenge as Laura Williams, a 16 year old British international student, finds out that her brother was targeted by a terrorist attack and killed. The first scene of the book has Laura's brother running through a train with his friend. A strange man hands him a package and tells him that his friend dropped it and leaves. Laura's brother remembers all the drills he had at school and realizes the package is a bomb, but didn't want anyone else to die. So, he lays on top of the package to absorb most of the blow and save the baby and mother that were closest to him. The scene really helps my writing because it shows how a single scene can take simple drills in school, that all of us have had, and make them into a horrifying incident. It also shows me how single scenes can reveal a character's true nature and instantly makes the reader fall in love with the brother. It also makes Laura's grief real and it makes the reader understand Laura's need for revenge.
—Adam
The Terrorist By : Caroline B. Cooney I am currently reading this book called The Terrorist By : Caroline B. Cooney and I think that she really has good suspense.She really can get people to read her books, and from the beginning all the way to the end Caroline has kept the story interesting. I love how she makes the sometime upsetting but still have you at the edge of your seat. For example it is upsetting that the boy died of a bomb hidden in a package but it has at edge of your seat to find out who did it.
—Kymali
